Title: Consistant
Author: Darkfireblade aka Hellsfirescythe
For: heroes50
Prompt: 01. Wish
Rating: PGCharacters: Ando and Hiro
Note: Is anyone out there willing to beta any of my Heroes fanfiction? I'd willingly accept anybody and be extremely grateful!
"Endeavor to be always patient of the faults and imperfections of others for thou has many faults and imperfections of thine own that require forbearance. If thou are not able to make thyself that which thou wishest, how canst thou expect to mold another in conformity to thy will?" -Thomas A Kempis
"My wish is to ride the tempest, tame the waves, kill the sharks. I will not resign myself..." -Trieu Thi Trinh
Thomas Kasey.
The bold black letters on the transfer-student's name tag announced his presence to the class even more than their teacher had. Ando sized up the American boy over the top of his econ book.
Really, there was nothing impressive about the red-head. There was always a transfer student in one year and gone the next. This one wasn't much different. His peachy colored skin was beginning to redden from all the attention, making the tanned blotches that Americans called freckles blend in better on his skin. Nearby girls were blushing and giggling.
"Oh, look at his eyes."
"They're so green."
"He's so handsome."
Ando fought back a sneer. Handsome? The boy looked like cheap rice-waffer, probably burnt like a lobster underneat the sun, probably was a horrible influence as well. Best if he kept --
"Hiro! What are you doing? Go back to you're own seat."
Said intruder had both elbows propped eagerly on top of Ando's impeccable notes and was looking in the direction of the transfer with admiration glowing in eyes set behind cheap glasses. Ando's protests were ignored and his classmate grinned. "Oi, Ando, what do you think of Kaisei-san?"
"He looks ridiculous," muttered Ando, attempting to flap Hiro away from his desk area, "He's probably a bad influence as all those stupid foreigners are."
"You didn't think that when the other American girl came here last year," replied Hiro.
A blush crept across Ando's cheeks and he lightly slapped his companion's arms. "I didn't think that at first, but she was just like all the others in the end."
"Just because she said no when you asked her to lunch."
"Shut up! You're so noisy!"
"He seems different to me," said Hiro after a moment of self-imposed silence.
"Who?"
"Kaisei-san!"
"It's not Kai-sei, it's Kay-see!" snapped Ando, "Don't you ever pay attention in English class?"
"Well, I'm going to be his friend," announced Hiro confidently. "I know it."
Ando huffed in frustration into his work as Hiro bounced away towards the transfer. Half of him wanted to just leave Hiro to his own devices, it's his fault if he gets hurt by the stupid American, they never played well with those in the lower half of the class spectrum. But the other half just screamed to drag Hiro back, Hiro was his friend, he didn't need any other, especially out of that waif of a boy.
It didn't matter, Hiro would see.
A week later, Ando found himself joking and laughing in his usual lunch spot with Hiro and the not-so wretched transfer.
The red-head actually wasn't that bad of a companion. He was quiet and kept usually to himself, something that Hiro's personality just seemed to take advantage of as the other boy jabbered on and on while the other sat and listened. Ando had long learned to somewhat tune out that troublesome noise, but Thomas seemed to hang onto every single work Hiro said. Soon, instead of just bringing a small bento with him to lunch, Thomas began to bring backpacks full of booklets as well.
It was with a bit of disdain and annoyance that Ando sat and read his manga while Hiro poured over the American manga that Thomas had brought with him. Thus started the Nakamura's life-long obsession.
Long after Thomas Kasey had left to return back home, Hiro still kept reading those books. Comics. But Hiro didn't leave himself just to comics, there were all sorts of other American things that the boy devoured as well: Star Trek, Star Wars, anything 'sci-fi', Hiro called it.
"Hey Ando?"
"What now?"
"If you ever had a super power, what would it be?"
Ando glanced up flatly from his workbook at Hiro and the boy looked back at him expectantly. He sighed and looked back down at his calculus and erased a few errant marks that littered his paper. "That's a stupid question."
His response seemed to be ignored as Hiro tapped his pencil on his work. "I'm serious Ando! What do you think?"
A snort escaped from Ando's large repetoire of replies as he looked back up at his friend. "I don't know, maybe I'd be able to turn invisible," he offerered sarcastically. He really should have known better than to say anything, but it was too late now and Hiro pounced on his response.
"Really? Wow, that's be a really cool super power," Hiro exclaimed eagerly. "What about me, Ando? What would my powers be?"
"I don't care okay?"
"Come on, Ando!"
Mind racing to pick out an answer to just appease Hiro's inescapable question, Ando blurted out the first thing that came to mind. "Just teleport and quit bothering me."
"Teleportation! Awesome, like Nightcrawler, you know? From -"
"X-Men, I know. You've told me."
"Yes, that's the super power I want, I"ll be a hero."
"Yeah, yeah, 'Super Hiro', go ahead."
Years later, in his neatly organized cubical, Ando frowns at the memories that chose to float back up into his consciousness.
"Super Hiro. Yeah right, who's that guy kidding?" he chuckled to himself dryly, trying to concentrate on his work.
Hiro hadn't been to work for days now. The manager was near ready to pink-slip the man for being gone without notice for so long, in fact, Ando wouldn't be surprised if the slip was already sitting on the other's desk, waiting impatiently for its intended recipient.
There had been no word, no sight of the smaller man since off-note farewell at the bar.
Somewhere in the back of his mind, Ando allowed himself to smile sheepishly. Of course, Hiro indeed had turned into 'Super Hiro', just as he had made himself friends -no best friends- with that American transfer those years ago. Nakamura Hiro's wishes were always granted.
Why weren't his?